6.9 - Night Terrors

Rating

Votes

10

0%

0

9

4%

4

8

7%

6

7

27%

25

6

27%

25

5

24%

22

4

10%

9

3

1%

1

2

0%

0

1

0%

0

Average Rating

6.1

Votes

92

Synopsis

From wikipedia

The Doctor decides to make a "house call" after his psychic paper receives a message from George, a frightened 8-year-old child, asking his help in getting rid of the monsters in his bedroom. On arrival at a council estate on present-day Earth, the Doctor, Amy, and Rory split up to try to locate the child. The Doctor, taking the guise of a social services worker, finds the right flat, and meets George's father, Alex, while his mother Claire is working a night shift. Through Alex's photo album, the Doctor learns that George has been frightened all his life, fearing many of the sounds and people around the flat and is helped to cope by utilising various habits, including metaphorically placing his fears within his wardrobe.

Meanwhile, Amy and Rory, while taking the lift down, suddenly find themselves in what appears to be an eighteenth-century house, but shortly discover most of the furnishings are wooden props. Other residents of the estate appear in the house, but are caught by life-sized peg dolls that laugh and sing like children, and transform the residents into more dolls. Amy and Rory witness one transformation and try to flee, but Amy is caught and becomes a doll herself, joining the others in chasing Rory.

The Doctor, suspecting that the wardrobe is containing the evil that George fears, opens it to find its contents are simply clothes and toys, including a doll house. The Doctor suddenly recalls from Alex's photo album that Claire did not appear pregnant in the weeks leading up to George's supposed birth, causing Alex to remember the fact that Claire was unable to have children. The Doctor asserts that George is a Tenza child, an empathic alien who took on the form of Alex and Claire's desired child through a perception filter, and has the ability to literally lock away his fears within the wardrobe. George begins to panic from this revelation and the Doctor and Alex are pulled into the wardrobe, joining Rory in the dollhouse. As the dolls descend on the three, the Doctor calls out to George to face his fears; George is able to open the wardrobe and appears in the dollhouse, but the dolls turn to advance on him. The Doctor realises that George is still frightened that Alex and Claire plan to send him away, having mistakenly interpreted a conversation they had earlier that night; Alex rushes through the dolls to embrace George as his son. They all soon find themselves back at the estate, restored to normal. Claire returns the next morning to find George no longer scared while Alex and the Doctor make him breakfast. After being thanked, the Doctor rejoins his companions to set off for their next adventure.

I think this episode, written by Mark Gatiss, is very under-rated. I have issues with many Steven Moffatt era plots which I find illogical, especially new series 6 with the Melody/River arc etc. This episode does not get involved with any convoluted plot holes or have any major flaws provided you accept the premise that there is an alien which is afraid, which takes on a human form for its own reasons and that inadvertently gives power to things which scare it. The plot is a fantasy level story but it works fine on that level as so many equally outlandish ideas in Doctor Who past have. There is sufficient internal logic and the story develops in a satisfying way.

The greatest strength of this episode is that it is effective in creating a very creepy, scary atmosphere which will have children and people of a nervous disposition hiding behind the sofa. Some dislike such scares but I find scary Doctor Who great. Gatiss loves horror based ideas and he succeeds in writing a good one here. The episode is very well done with spooky dark rooms, horrible dolls and an unnerving feeling imbued throughout the episode.

The acting is very good from the whole cast. Daniel Mays, who has gone on to great success since this, guest stars as George's father and does a great job as do all the regular TARDIS crew.

The setting of the block of flats is good and the effects and filming of the scary dolls house etc is all done perfectly. The dialogue from Gatiss is solid, funny at times and touching at times. The direction from Richard Clark is very strong.

Feels like a bit of 90s Who, bit of the Virgin New Adventures in the way that the Doctor and co visit a council estate and have to deal with a child and its relationship to alien life; cough Damaged Goods cough. Admittedly not as good as Damaged Goods but nonetheless an enjoyable story. Very underrated imo